~,........ ........,~
,......... .........,
~,........ ........,~
^~,....... .......,~^
^^~,...... ......,~^^
$^^~,..... winds esker .....,~^^$
@$^^~,.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ....,~^^$@
@@$^^~,... ...,~^^$@@
#@@$^^~,.. there was this place that for two years ..,~^^$@@#
##@@$^^~,. i couldn't go to. regardless how much .,~^^$@@##
#@@$^^~,.. discussed with others, or pointed out ..,~^^$@@#
@@$^^~,... on maps, i could not think of it when ...,~^^$@@
@$^^~,.... alone. i would often travel past the ....,~^^$@
$^^~,..... fork, where a right turn would surely .....,~^^$
^^~,...... take me there, but even then, something ......,~^^
^~,....... kept me away. .......,~^
~,........ ........,~
,......... when i finally got there, after some .........,
~,........ heavy subconscious battle i must ........,~
^~,....... assume, the place was surreal. an .......,~^
^^~,...... esker, like a needle-thin rift out in ......,~^^
$^^~,..... the lake, but ten meters high and .....,~^^$
@$^^~,.... adorned in birch, willow, bracken, and ....,~^^$@
@@$^^~,... blueberries. ...,~^^$@@
#@@$^^~,.. ..,~^^$@@#
##@@$^^~,. walking atop that spine, i came to .,~^^$@@##
#@@$^^~,.. notice the view to either side. there ..,~^^$@@#
@@$^^~,... should be shores, of course, but i ...,~^^$@@
@$^^~,.... didn't recognize them. first off, they ....,~^^$@
$^^~,..... were much too close, as the lake should .....,~^^$
^^~,...... stretch for a hundred meters more on ......,~^^
^~,....... both sides. but now i felt i could .......,~^
~,........ almost reach out and touch them. and ........,~
,......... then, when i realized which shores they .........,
~,........ were, i had to stop. ........,~
^~,....... .......,~^
^^~,...... they were of the right lake. but this ......,~^^
$^^~,..... lake is large, fractured, and .....,~^^$
@$^^~,.... bipartite. like a pair of lungs carved ....,~^^$@
@@$^^~,... into the granite, and with no less than ...,~^^$@@
#@@$^^~,.. five communities anchored at various ..,~^^$@@#
##@@$^^~,. points. and so, studying these .,~^^$@@##
#@@$^^~,.. impossibly close shores, i slowly ..,~^^$@@#
@@$^^~,... understood them as belonging many miles ...,~^^$@@
@$^^~,.... away. ....,~^^$@
$^^~,..... .....,~^^$
^^~,...... i examined the ridge, the treeline ......,~^^
^~,....... above. was this what you saw opposite, .......,~^
~,........ from those other shores? i couldn't ........,~
,......... remember. .........,
~,........ ........,~
^~,....... carrying forward, on the very tip of .......,~^
^^~,...... the esker, i found the ruins of some ......,~^^
$^^~,..... old building. there were overgrown .....,~^^$
@$^^~,.... marble staircases, stone floors beneath ....,~^^$@
@@$^^~,... the moss, and strange slabs inserted ...,~^^$@@
#@@$^^~,.. into the slope like dams against the ..,~^^$@@#
##@@$^^~,. ground itself. .,~^^$@@##
#@@$^^~,.. ..,~^^$@@#
@@$^^~,... sitting there, i could see across the ...,~^^$@@
@$^^~,.... narrowed lake my entire path to where i ....,~^^$@
$^^~,..... sat: from the stairwell of my house, .....,~^^$
^^~,...... through the old woods behind the tile ......,~^^
^~,....... factory, the bridge over route .......,~^
~,........ twenty three and then back under it, ........,~
,......... through the fancy villas, over the .........,
~,........ fields, and then that right turn at the ........,~
^~,....... fork. .......,~^
^^~,...... ......,~^^
$^^~,..... and then the stairs up on the ridge. .....,~^^$
@$^^~,.... thinking back, this was probably it. ....,~^^$@
@@$^^~,... hidden in a grove, there were stairs ...,~^^$@@
#@@$^^~,.. much like the ones i currently sat on, ..,~^^$@@#
##@@$^^~,. old and worn down, that lead you up .,~^^$@@##
#@@$^^~,.. onto the esker. the point of entry. had ..,~^^$@@#
@@$^^~,... i insted opted to walk the path at its ...,~^^$@@
@$^^~,.... foot, i'm sure my experience would've ....,~^^$@
$^^~,..... been different indeed. .....,~^^$
^^~,...... ......,~^^
^~,....... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .......,~^
~,........ ........,~
,......... on the lake, there were people in .........,
~,........ boats. i wondered, could they even see ........,~
^~,....... me? if i shouted, would they turn to .......,~^
^^~,...... stare right through me? ......,~^^
$^^~,..... .....,~^^$
@$^^~,.... ....,~^^$@
@@$^^~,... ...,~^^$@@
#@@$^^~,.. ..,~^^$@@#
##@@$^^~,. .,~^^$@@##